Sixth Avenue Public Plaza To Undergo Full Redesign, Report Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A giant public plaza at the base of the Rockefeller Group's McGraw-Hill Building in Midtown Manhattan will undergo a complete redesign that will add a large underground retail location and seating to the space, the New York Post first reported.

The plaza, located on Sixth Avenue between West 48th and 49th streets, has not been fully redesigned since it was built in 1969, the Post reported. The Rockefeller Group has reportedly contracted Italian architecture firm Citterio-Viel & Partners to design the new plaza, according to the report.

A message left with the firm was not immediately returned.

The new plaza will feature increased seating for the public and a 35,000-square-foot retail space occupying two stories below ground, the Post first reported. The signature design element of the new plaza will be a centrally-located circular cutout that will bring light to the new retail destination.

Construction on the new plaza is expected to begin when the Rockefeller Group signs a tenant for the new retail space and could be complete by 2019, the Post reported.

Read the Post's full report, and check out a rendering of the new plaza, here.

Photo by Google Maps street view